The 75 kilometer-long Samana Peninsula is the quintessential Carribean
with its cobolt and aqua blue waters, lush, dramatic landscapes, protected
bay dotted with small islands, desolate beaches, and coconut palms as
far as the eye can see in every direction. Don't let the lazy, layed back
mood fool you, though. The Samana Peninsula has a culturally and historically
rich history that reads like a James Michner novel (but, much shorter,
of course). The Los Haitises National Park, located in the Samana Bay
between Samana de la Barbara, the capital of the province, and the small
fishing town of Sanchez, teems with biological diversity boasting over
760 species of plants and 110 different birds. In fact, one of the largest
marine birds in the world, the American Frigate, come here to mate yearly.
The males are commical and fascinating to watch with their giant black
bodies, sciccor-cut tail feathers, and bulbous red pouches under their
chins inflated to the point of explosion to attract the attention of mates.
The small, rounded calcium-bicarbonate islands are actually hollow, and
the 5 distinct indigenous populations that used them have left their marks
in the form of pictographs, petroglyphs, and artifacts. The islands also
reveal the Peninsula's geologically violent past where the bay waters
have worn away at them at different heights over time. Tectonic plates
are not the only source of violence that Samana has seen. Since the 1750's
when Spanish interests relocated families of the Canary Islands to Samana,
the French, British, Haitians, Americans, and Germans have either had
plans to, or succesfully did, occupy the territory. Be it whale watching
in the Samana Bay Marine Mammal Sanctuary, relaxing on the remote beaches
of Playa Rincon, visiting the decendants of 1860's African-American immigrants
in Barrio Wilmore, or enjoying midday tapas at a cafe in Las Terrenas,
the Samana Peninsula has something for all ages and interests.